Critical Care Newsline — December 10, 2009

Critical Care Newsline, the electronic newsletter from the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, contains information selected just for you by our clinical practice experts. In each issue, you’ll find links to resources, research abstracts (individual sites may require registration and a fee to access complete articles) and Web sites that will keep you informed on issues affecting nurses and the nursing profession.

1. NEWS AACN launches FREE Web-based HWE Team AssessmentVisit hereto access the new AACN Healthy Work Environment Team Assessment, a FREE Web-based tool that helps nurse managers and leaders align hospital unit performance with the AACN Standards for Establishing and Sustaining Healthy Work Environments (HWE). This online tool -- developed with VitalSmarts, a provider of corporate training and organizational performance products and services in Provo, Utah -- aligns the performance of any clinical environment, from single hospital units to entire healthcare organizations, with the six HWE standards. They include skilled communication, true collaboration, effective decision-making, appropriate staffing, meaningful recognition and authentic leadership.

2. NEWS ICU patients with H1N1 often obese, young, uninsuredICU patients with H1N1 are more obese, younger and medically uninsured compared to the general population according to a reportpublished online Nov. 20 by CHEST. Common symptoms exhibited by patients upon admission include severe acute respiratory distress syndrome with multi-organ dysfunction in the absence of bacterial infection.

3. NEWS New guidelines for myocardial infarction, percutaneous coronary interventionAccess the 2009 focused update of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines for managing patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction and guidelines for percutaneous coronary intervention.

4. NEWS AACN offers FREE online, self-paced course, “Best Practices for Elder Care”Visit the AACN Web site to access “Best Practices for Elder Care,” a FREE online, self-paced course that addresses complex issues specific to older patients and promotes a healthy work environment. This Web-based resource includes four units each of instructional content and interactive case studies and a 17-question self-assessment unit. AACN members earn four FREE hours of continuing nursing education (CNE) for completing this program. Nonmembers pay a nominal charge for the four CNE hours.

5. NEWS Five U.S. resource centers offer TeamSTEPPS training Three-day master training courses for TeamSTEPPS will be available at five resource centers in the U.S. These training courses will create a national network of master trainers who teach the program to frontline providers in hospitals and other healthcare settings. The U.S. Department of Defense and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality developed TeamSTEPPS, an evidence-based system to optimize patient outcomes through improved communication and teamwork. To apply for training, call 1-877-6STEPPS. Learn more.

6. EVIDENCE Age, comorbidities contribute to healthcare-associated pneumonia mortalityProbable reasons for higher mortality in patients with healthcare-associated compared to community-acquired pneumonia include older age, comorbidities and ICU admission criteria according to a study of 228 patients published Dec. 1 by CHEST.

8. EVIDENCE Early post-pyloric feeding not better than gastric feeding, study saysEarly post-pyloric feeding does not offer improved nutrition or reduced complications compared to gastric feeding for ICU patients on mechanical ventilation, states a prospective randomized study of 104 patients published Nov. 25 by Critical Care. Download a provisional PDF of the article.

10. AACN RESOURCESThe CCRN Adult Self-Assessment Exam (SAE) for candidates planning to test after Jan. 13, 2010, can be purchased for $50. The newly revised SAE, based on the new CCRN Adult Test Plan, provides automatic rationale for correct and incorrect answers. Candidates can access the program 90 days from the date of purchase. The 60-item CCRN SAE may be used one time by CCRNs renewing with a passing score of 70 percent or more on Category A Continuing Education Recognition Points (CERPs). Candidates may earn CERPs but not CE credit. Technical requirements include a computer with Internet access, a Web browser (version 4.0 or greater), cookies enabled and a current e-mail account.

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